For some, holiday skiing is as much of a tradition as the turkey itself.

“People are out there shredding some snow and shedding some turkey, so this is really the start of the season!” said Jon Lundin, the public relations coordinator for the Olympic Regional Development Authority.

Thanks to some cold weather and about 85 snow-making machines, Wilmington’s Whiteface Mountain was able to open for some weekends in November, but the Thanksgiving weekend marks the mountain’s official opening of the ski season.

“From this point until the snow melts in April, our goal is to be open every day of the week,” said Lundin.

The mountain says only 13% of the trails are currently open, but the most popular, signature trails are up and running.

“The ones that people really enjoy and they hear a lot about like Excelsior, Essex and Northway are open,” Lundin said.

A number of families on the slopes told WPTZ that skiing at Whiteface is part of their Thanksgiving tradition.

Tomasz Stephankowski from Westchester County, N.Y. said he and his family have been skiing on Whiteface together the weekend of Thanksgiving for six years.

Whiteface officials say more than 800 skiers and riders hit the slopes on Friday. Some mountain regulars said the weather was among the best they’d seen.

“Definitely one of the better days – good snow!” said Stephankowski.

Whiteface officials also said the great skiing and riding conditions don’t just benefit the mountain, the busy slopes give the whole community a boost.

“It’s an economic shot in the arm to see this many people here skiing Whiteface. You know many more are in Lake Placid staying in the hotels, and in the shops, restaurant and convenience stores,” said Lundin.